Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of companies that have been automatically struck off the Companies House register where fraudulent activity was suspected to have taken place in each of the last five years.

Companies House does not hold figures for how many companies were struck off the register where fraudulent activity was suspected.

The Registrar of Companies can only instigate action to strike a company off the register where she has reason to believe a company is no longer in business or in operation. The figures for the compulsory strike off process for the past five years are as follows:

The Registrar of Companies may also strike a company’s name off the register on application by a company. Table A9 of the Companies register activities: statistical release 2021 to 2022 shows the total volumes of all companies struck off and dissolved, which includes the compulsory strike off process and following an application by a company:

Companies register activities: statistical release 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).